Smog Progress?

The Environmental Protection Agency's proposed deferral of the Denver area's 8-hour ozone nonattainment designation is online today. The deferral postpones imposing strict clean air requirements for ozone until December 31, 2007. These strict air requirements, however, would do more to protect us from ozone pollution than the current Denver Ozone Early Action Compact. The Compact is a regulatory scheme that has let ozone rise to unhealthy levels dozens of times this year.

In a news release, the EPA claims the state of Colorado has made "progress" in reducing smog in the Denver metro area. So far this summer, there's been nearly 50 exceedances of health standards for smog, also known as ozone. This is not progress.

People have until September 6 to submit comments on the EPA's proposal. Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action strongly encourages people to submit comments criticizing the EPA's dangerous cover up of Denver's ozone problem. You can e-mail comments to A-and-R-Docket@epa.gov. In your comments, please include your name and address and tell the EPA to:

• Protect the health of our children and communities by immeditaely designating the Denver metro area as nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

We can't afford to wait until December 31, 2007 to protect clean air. We need protection now.